Maastrichtian or Maestrichtian? A proposal to the Subcommission on Cretaceous Stratigraphy (IUGS, International Commission on Stratigraphy)

Abstract

This contribution deals with the dual spelling of the terminal Cretaceous Stage, the Maastrichtian or Maestrichtian. From a historical point of view and in agreement with the recommendations of the International Stratigraphic Guide (1st and 2nd editions) only Maestrichtian is justified. Nevertheless, the spelling Maastrichtian is proposed, or equivalents in other languages, because stratigraphic names should employ the spelling of place names in the country of their origin and, to be realistic, because Maastrichtian has been well established by its use in an overwhelming majority of the publications which have appeared during the last decades.